Container closure with pouring spout and destructible sealing cap



March 24, 1970 a: KELBCH CONTAINER CLOSURE WITH POURING SPOUT- AND DESTRUCTIBLE SEALING CA]? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 5, 1967 Gijnfher Kelbch IN VE N TOR.

Attorney March 1970 G. KELBCH 3,502,246

CONTAINER CLOSURE WITH POURING SPOUT AND DESTRUCTIBLE SEALING CAP Filed Oct. 5, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 8

I4 I I50 30 27 I50 F1 g. 9 '0 30 I50 I60 3,

GUnfher Kelbch IN VE N TOR.

BY 3 M Attorney United States Patent 3,502,246 CONTAINER CLOSURE WITH POURING SPOUT AND DESTRUCTIBLE SEALING CAP Giinther Kelbch, Stettiner Str. 8f, Stockelsdorf, Lubeck, Germany Filed Oct. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 672,478 Claims priority, application Germany, June 3, 1967, Sch 40,826 Int. Cl. B67d 5/32 U.S. Cl. 222-153 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to closure members made from plastic materials to be fitted'to the open mouth of a container, particularly for liquids. Such closure members conventionally comprise a base ring which may be pushed into or onto the container mouth to enclose a beaded edge of said mouth. The base ring is connected to a thin-walled bellows which may be pushed inwardly and outwardly through the base ring and has a perforated upper part carrying an outlet tube or a housing for a rotatable cap plug. In such a closure member, a rigid protective and sealing cap of plastic material is provided and has a radial peripheral edge so connected to the base ring that when the bellows is pushed inwards, after the base ring has been elastically pushed into or onto the beaded edge of the mouth, it releasably grips the cap. The release is effected by means of a portion of the upper part of the cap which may be pulled or cut off.

The present invention relates to a closure member made from plastic material for the mouth or outlet of a container for liquid, said closure member comprising a base ring which may be pressed into or onto the mouth from above and which grips around the edge thereof; a thin-walled bellows is attached to the base ring and able to be pushed therethrough in an inward or outward direction and has a perforated upper portion carrying an outlet tube or the housing of a rotatable plug..

In conventional closures of the type described above, after the base ring had been connected to the edge of the container mouth, the bellows and the outlet tube are pushed inwards so that practically no part of the outlet tube projects above the level of the container mouth, thus enabling the container to be transported and stored without the closure constituting a hindrance. It is also known in the art to cover the bellows and outlet tube, which have been pushed inwards, by means of a cap which may be releasably connected to the base ring and protects the bellows against the ingress of dirt. In conventional arrangements the unauthorized removal of liquids is prevented by means of parts of the outlet tube which may be pulled or screwed oli, but in many cases the base ring may be forced out of the container mouth and pressed in again and it is impossible to check the unauthorized removal of liquid.

It is an object of the invention to protect the bellows together with the outlet tube forming part of the plastics closure against dirt, while providing a seal which is so designed as to exclude or minimize the possibility of the closure being removed and therefore preventing or making obvious any unauthorized removal of liquid from the container.

Accordingly, the invention consists in that, in a plastic (synthetic resin) closure of the type described above, there is provided a rigid protective and sealing cap of plastic (synthetic resin) material, the radial peripheral edge of which is so connected to the base ring that when the bellows and outlet tube are pushed inwards, the base 3,502,246 Patented Mar. 24, 1970 ice ring having been elastically pushed into or onto the beaded edge of the outlet in the cover, it grips the cap so as to be nonreleasable; the cap may be made elastically flexible in order to be releasable by means of parts on the upper surface of the cap which may be torn or cut off.

By means of this design and arrangement of the cap, the upper side of the plastic closure with the bellows and outlet tube, which have been pushed inwardly to seal the outlet aperture in the cover, is closed so that the parts which are pushed into the container remain permanently clean even when the container is stored for a considerable period, and at the same time enables the closure to be sealed in a very simple manner, since once the rigid cap has been pushed into .or over the beaded edge of the outlet in the cover, it is tensioned or clamped so as not to be removable and thus also prevents the whole closure from being removed. The cap may only be removed when a part on the upper surface of said cap is removed, thus rendering it elastically flexible and able to be withdrawn from the closure so that it is possible for the bellows and tube to be gripped and pulled outwards and the tube to be used in order to remove liquid from the container.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, which shows some embodiments thereof, by way of example, and in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a half sectional and half elevational view of a plastic closure according to the invention when the bellows and outlet tube are pulled outwards.

FIGURE 2 shows a vertical section through the closure shown in FIGURE 1 with the bellows and tube pushed inwards and with the protective and sealing cap of the invention after insertion in the outlet aperture in the cover of a container,

FIGURE 3 shows a plan view of the cap shown in FIG- URE 2, part of the cap being broken away,

FIGURE 4 shows a part-sectional view through a modified base ring for the closure with the cap in the position shown in FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 shows a plan view of the protective and sealing cap,

FIGURE 6 shows a section along the line VIVI in FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 7 shows a section along the line VIIVII in FIGURE 5, and

FIGURES 8 and 9 respectively show two modifications in sectional and side view having base rings as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 3, a plastic closure comprises a base ring 1, to the inside of which is connected a thin-walled bellows or web 2 which forms a unit (i.e. is a single piece) with the base ring 1, and on the perforated upper central portion of which is mounted a housing 3 which also forms a coherent unit (i.e. single piece) with the base ring 1 and the bellows. The cap housing 3 is preferably oriented horizontally and is of conventional tapered form. The cap housing 3 receives a plug 4 which is provided with a radial inlet 5 and an axial outlet 6 and which is provided opposite the outlet with a handle 7 which carries, in axial alignment with the inlet aperture 5, a lug 8 parallel to the axis, the lug projecting over the outer edge of the cap housing 3. Closures so far described follows substantially conventional patterns.

According to a feature of the invention, however, the base ring 1 is provided on its outer periphery with two shoulders 9 and 10, the upper shoulder 9 being turned downwards, so that between this downwardly drawn portion and the lower shoulder 10 there is formed an annular groove 11 (FIG. 1). If a closure of this type is used, the mouth of the container, which is shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 2 at 12, must be beaded outwardly and upwardly at its outlet hole, this beading 13 being upwardly divergent. The base ring of such a closure may be pressed into the container mouth by mechanical means with for example, the lower shoulder enclosing the lower edge of the beading and the downwardly drawn part of the shoulder 9 enclosing the outside of the beading. This prevents the base ring from being compressed radially inwardly which would enable it to be drawn out of the container mouth. Further in accordance with the invention, the base ring 1 is provided, on the inside above its junction with the bellows, with an inwardly open groove 14 into which may be pressed the radial outer peripheral edge of a rigid plastic cap 16, after the bellows 2 and the cap 3 and 4 have been pressed inwards through the base ring and before the base ring has been pressed into the container mouth. This cap, which will be described in detail below, fits with its peripheral edge right into the annular groove 14 in the base ring 1, and may be pretensioned therein. If the base ring is then pressed into the outlet mouth of the container, the beaded edge 13 acts through the base ring 1 on the rigid cap 16 exerting a radially directed force which is so strong as to prevent the base ring from being drawn out of the container mouth even by force, or from being replaced therein. The cap 16 thus constitutes a protection for the closure portions which have been pressed into the container, i.e. for the bellows 2 and the outlet cap 3 and 4, and at the same time constitutes a seal which renders impossible an authorized removal of liquid from the container.

In a modification of the closure as shown in FIG- URE 4, the upper part of the container mouth 12 is outwardly beaded or flanged as shown at 17. The base-ring annulus 1a is then stepped above its junction with the bellows 2 and the peripheral edge 15 of the rigid plastic cap 16 is then applied, possibly with a certain amount of pretension of the base ring 1a, against the steps thus formed. The rigid cap may also be clamped, by means of a thinner peripheral wall, between the upper surface of the base ring and a metal ring or sheath 18. The base ring 1a and the metal ring 18 are then placed over the outwardly extending beaded portion 17 of the container mouth and the metal ring is then pressed together with the base ring inwards against the beaded edge as shown in FIGURE 4, using a tool. The metal ring also grips over (overhangs) the peripheral edge of the rigid cap 16 and thus holds the base ring 1a firmly and nonreleasably against the beaded edge 17 of the container mouth and the compressed deformation of the metal ring clamps the rigid cap 15, 16 over the base ring, so that here, too, the rigid cap 16 forms a protection for the inwardly thrust bellows and outlet tube or spout and in effect constitutes a seal for the closure.

The rigid protective and sealing cap 16, which is engaged peripherally around the edge 15 (i.e. the radial peripheral flange which lies in a plane parallel to the rim or bead of the container mouth), preferably has a rectangular inner chamber 19 which receives the upper portion of the pushed-in cap, the top 20 of the cap 16 being provided at one side with a tear-off tab 21. Below the line of attachment of the tear-off tab (FIG. 5), the side wall of the cap is weakened, i.e. thinned, at 22 and score lines 23 extend over the surface of the cover from the side edges of the tear-off tab 21, so that when the tab 21 is pulled the portion of the cover enclosed by the score lines 23 may be removed. This removal of a portion of the cover renders the rigid cap elastic and if the side walls of the chamber are gripped it may be compressed and drawn out of the groove 14 in the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 to 3 or out of the mounting constituted by the ring 18 in FIGURE 4, thus exposing the bellows and outlet cap which had been pushed into the container. The cap and bellows may then be pulled outwards, by gripping the cap, and restored to the posi tion illustrated in FIGURE 1.

In order to ensure that, when the closure is inserted in the container mouth, the outlet 6 of the plug 4 is directed upwards parallel to the surface of the cover, the chamber 19 in the cap is provided at right angles to the score lines 23 with a hollow projection 24 which receives the lug 8 of the plug handle 7, the projecting portion thus constituting an indication that the outlet of the plug is correctly positioned. The cap housing 4 is, moreover, advantageously provided, on the upper surface shown in FIGURES 1 to 3, with two spaced-apart peripheral lugs 25 which facilitate the gripping of the cap housing to enable it to be pulled outwards. It is also possible to close the outlet 6 of the plug by means of a plate which may be torn or cut off, thus providing additional security against unauthorized removal of liquid from the container. It is also possible to produce a seal by limiting the degree of rotation of the cap plug when in closure position by means of stop members which must be removed to allow the plugs to be turned into the position in which liquid may be removed from the container.

The objects of the invention may also be achieved in a manner different from that shown in FIGURES 1 to 7, and as illustrated in FIGURE 8, as follows. The bead or rim 13 on the container mouth and the base ring 1 with the bellows 2 which may be pushed inward and outward are of the same design as in FIGURE 2. However, in this case the bellows 2 is provided at the center with a simple outlet tube or spout 26 having external threading onto which may be screwed a rigid cap 16a comprising a cover and an annular wall 27 with internal threading, the arrangement being such that when the cap is screwed on, the upper spout edge is applied in a sealing manner against an annular raised portion 28 on the lower part of the cover. The cap cover is provided with an annular flange 15a which extends freely outwards, the periphery of this flange fitting when the cap is screwed onto the outlet tube 26 into the inner annular groove 14 of the base ring 1. In this position, the base ring 1 is pressed into the outlet in the cover, as was described with reference to FIGURES 1 to 3, i.e. the beaded edge 13 of the container mouth exerts, through the base ring 1, a radially directed pressure on the rigid cap 16a which makes it impossible to loosen the closure with the cap without destroying it. Here, too, the cap thus constitutes a protection for the bellows and outlet tube and also a seal against unauthorized removal of liquid from the container. When it is desired to remove liquid from the container, the annular flange 15a is provided with a circular zone of weakened material by reducing its thickness and with a tear-off tab 30 so that when the tab is pulled, a small annular strip is torn out of the flange. The cap 16a is thus released and may be unscrewed from the tube 26 by means of a handle 31.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE .9, the closure with the rigid protective and sealing cap 16a is of the same design as in the embodiment in FIGURE 8, but in this case the cap is clamped in the same manner as described with reference to FIGURE 4.

I claim:

1. A closure assembly for a container having a mouth lined with a generally collar-shaped bead of upwardly convergent cross-section, said assembly comprising: a base ring composed at least in part of synthetic-resin material and adapted to be seated on said mouth and to receive said bead, said ring being formed externally with a pair of radial peripheral shoulders offset one above the other to form an external groove receiving said bead, the upper of said shoulders being turned downwardly to engage about the exterior of said head; outlet means of synthetic-resin material centrally of said ring for discharging the contents of said container; a thinwalled flexible web of synthetic-resin material affixed to said ring and supporting said outlet means while being at least partly deflectable through said ring to retain said outlet means at least partly below the plane of said ring, said ring being formed with an inwardly open groove above the junction of said web with said ring; and a destruetible sealing cap of rigid synthetic-resin material having a radial peripheral edge received in said inwardly open groove and circumferentially overhung by said ring to prevent withdrawal of said cap without destruction thereof when said ring is seated on the mouth of said container, said cap being formed with weakening lines and a tear-off tab between said lines whereby the withdrawal of said tab renders said cap sufliciently yieldable to enable its removal from said inwardly open groove, the diameter of said cap being approximately equal to the diameter of said inwardly open groove so that, when said ring is pressed into the mouth of said container by said bead, said base ring is stressed radially inwardly against said cap.

2. A closure assembly for a container having a mouth lined with a bead, said assembly comprising: a base ring composed at least in part of synthetic-resin material and adapted to be seated on said mouth and to receive said bead; outlet means of synthetic-resin material centrally of said ring for discharging the contents of said container, said outlet means including a plug valve rotatable to dispense substances from said container; a thin-walled flexible web of synthetic-resin material aflixed to said ring and supporting said outlet means while being at least partly deflectable through said ring to retain said outlet means at least partly below the plane of said ring, said ring being formed with an inwardly open groove above the junction of said web with said ring; and a destruetible sealing cap of rigid synthetic-resin material having a radial peripheral edge received in said groove and circumferentially overhung by said ring to prevent withdrawal of said cap without destruction thereof when said ring is seated on said mouth of said container, said cap further having an inner chamber of generally rectangular configuration opening in the direction of said outlet means, said chamber being formed with a tear-off cover and a tab enabling said cover to be removed from said cap and permit same to be withdrawn from said groove.

3. A closure assembly for a container having a mouth lined with a bead, said assembly comprising a base ring composed at least in part of synthetic-resin material and adapted to be seated on said mouth and to receivesaid bead; outlet means of synthetic-resin material centrally of said ring for discharging the contents of said container; a thin-walled flexible web of synthetic-resin material aflixed to said ring and supporting said outlet means while being at least partly deflectable through said ring to retain said outlet means at least partly below the plane of said ring, said ring being formed with an inwardly open groove above the junction of said web with said ring, said outlet means including a horizontally oriented housing aflixed to said web and receiving a plug valve rotatable in said housing, said housing being formed on its upper outer periphery with a pair of spaced-apart gripping lugs; and a destruetible sealing cap of rigid synthetic-resin material having a radial peripheral edge received in said groove and circumferentially overhung by said ring to prevent withdrawal of said cap without destruction thereof when said ring is seated on said mouth of said container.

4. A closure assembly for a container having a mouth lined with a bead, said assembly comprising a base ring composed at least in part of synthetic-resin material and adapted to be seated on said mouth and receive said bead; outlet means of synthetic-resin material centrally of said ring for discharging the contents of said container; a thin-walled flexible web of synthetic-resin material aflixed to said ring and supporting said outlet means while being at least partly deflectable through said ring to retain said outlet means at least partly below the plane of said ring, said ring being formed with an inwardly open groove above the junction of said web with said ring; and a destruetible sealing cap of rigid synthetic-resin material having a radial peripheral edge received in said groove and circumferentially overhung by said ring to prevent withdrawal of said cap without destruction thereof when said ring is seated on the mouth of said container, said cap being threaded onto said outlet means and formed with a circular weakened portion connected to a tear-off tab.

5. The closure assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said ring includes a synthetic-resin annulus and a metal sheath at least partly surrounding said annulus and overhanging said edge of said cap, said sheath exerting radially inward pressure on said edge through said annulus.

6. The closure assembly defined in claim 5 wherein said cap has an outwardly extending circumferential flange of reduced thickness forming said edge and clamped between said sheath and said annulus.

7. The closure assembly defined in claim 2 wherein said plug valve has a handle at one end thereof and said cap is formed with a hollow projection receiving said handle in a position thereof corresponding to closure of said plug valve.

8. The closure assembly defined in claim 3 wherein said plug valve is provided with a removable closure disk.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,661,128 12/1953 Rieke 222-529 2,895,654 7/1959 Rieke 222-541 X 3,040,938 6/1962 Smith 222-530 X 3,207,375 9/ 1965 Bereziat et al 222-570 X 3,303,971 2/1967 Stevens 222-153 STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 222-529 

